Another amazing day in China. We went to the countryside this morning where we got to visit a farmer's home. Only in China can you pull up on a dirt road, have your guide hop out of the bus and ask the first person you see if you can visit their home...and he says "yes!" This gentleman was so accommodating, and kept a smile on his face the whole time! If someone came knocking on your door like that in the states, the police would be called!
This family consisted of the parents (the man told us he was 74) and the son, who was out working. The yard was very neat and tidy with rows of vegetables, mainly grown for their own consumption. They had a well near the door and a brick bathroom near the road. Inside there were just the necessary items and very little on the concrete wall. The parent’s bed was a cement slab, but the more modern son had a bed. They have no refrigerators in the home and a large wok shaped stove. They also had around 15 newborn chicks inside. The gentleman was very generous in sharing some corn cakes, which the children devoured. Also, he gave Kellen a bag of sunflower seeds, which were quite good. At our guide Steve's suggestion we had come prepared with a gift as gift giving is very important in China. We brought instant noodles and the Cunningham’s brought crackers! On the way out the farmer's wife came home. She joked about not getting to clean up before we came....women are the same all around the world! Steve told us that most likely Jaelyn was in a foster home very similar to this.
We spent the afternoon walking around the busy streets. We even bought our lunch from the vendors on the street today. Not sure what kind of meat it was, but we think it may have been lamb. It had some very spicy seasonings on it, which Jaelyn seemed to love. We just went to the vendor with the biggest crowd and figured it must be okay, which it was.
For dinner we went to a Brazilian restaurant which was recommended to us. It was very fun, tasty, and expensive compared to what we had been eating. The place was decorated mainly with a Brazilian soccer theme and had a live band. As you can see from the picture, they grabbed the kids to play on stage. The boys were good sports. It was a buffet, but the waiters would bring around all kinds of meats on these long shiskabobs and use a sword to put them on your plate. I hate to say it, but Mike tried dog tonight. Out of respect to Romeo and Caesar, our golden retrievers, no one else would! Mike said it was a bit chewier than the beef:)
We're off to Guangzhou tomorrow to meet back up with the 11 other families. It's about a 5 hr. trip, but I think Jaelyn will do well as she seems to travel well. We will complete the American side of the adoption while we are in Guangzhou.
